Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Matthew 4:1-11 NLT
Before Christ began His public ministry, He was tempted by Satan, and there are many lessons to learn from this incredible encounter. Satan tempted Jesus (at His most vulnerable) with three basic human desires: food, power, and miracles. These are also three false ways Jesus could choose to do His ministry: would He take the path of suffering or bribe people with food, fame, and the fantastic? Jesus resisted
Satan in the wilderness, quoting Scripture at every step, and obeyed the Lord—even though it would mean suffering and death. He resisted the temptation to give in to what people want; He chose the harder path for our salvation. Jesus was tempted just as we are, but He did not sin. He lives in us, and we can overcome sin, too.
Satan not only attacked Jesus’ hunger, ministry, and calling—he attacked the very identity of Jesus Christ, who is God’s “dearly loved Son.” Satan started each of the temptations with, “IF you are the Son of God…” Satan wanted Jesus to question His identity and the Father’s love for Him. While we will never be tempted in quite the same way as Jesus, we can learn that Satan will regularly tempt us to question our identity and worth as the daughters and sons of God. The Father loves us, and His love (not our actions) gives us self-worth, identity, and calling. This is the temptation we face every day: will we live out that true identity or settle for the stuff of earth?
Make no mistake: we are at war. Satan (a fallen angel) works to pull us away from the goodness of God, but he is not undefeatable. Jesus resisted Him with the word of God and with a resolute will; we can do the same. Fight back. God’s Spirit is living in you, and He is stronger. Know God's word; cling to it.
What are some of the temptations you are facing? What are some lessons you learned from these verses about how to fight back against temptation?
